2010 MERCEDES-BENZ E-CLASS CABRIOLET ESP

Problem Possible causes/consequences and
M Solutions
Vehicles with
apetrol
engine:
The engine is not run-
ning smoothly and is
misfiring. There is
amalfunction in the engine electronics or amechanical
componen tofthe engin emanagement system.
X Only depress the accelerator pedal slightly.
X Have the cause rectified immediately at aqualified specialist
workshop.
Otherwise, non-combusted fuel may get into the catalytic con-
verter and damage it. The coolant tempera-
ture display is showing
more than 120 †. The
coolant warning lamp
may also be lit and a
warning tone may
sound. (Y
page 192). The coolant level is too low. The coolant is too hot and the engine
is no longer being cooled sufficiently.
X
Stop as soo naspossible and allow the engin eand the coolant
to cool down.
X Check the coolant level (Y page261). Observe the warning
notes as you do so and top up the coolan tifnecessary. If the coolan
tlevel is correc t,the radiator fan may be faulty. The
coolant is too hot and the engine is no longe rbeing cooled suffi-
cien tly.
X If the coolant temperature is less than 120 †, you can continue
driving to the nearest qualified specialist workshop.
X Avoid heavy loads on the engine as you do so, e.g. driving on
mountain roads and stop/start driving. Manual transmission
Gear lever
Gear lever
!
Whe nshifting between 5thand 6thgear,
you should always push the gear lever all
the way to the right. Otherwise, you could
shift uninte ntionally into 3rdor4th gear
and damage the transmission. Do not exceed the maximum speed for the
individual gears.
Shiftin
gdown at too high aspeed (trans-
mission braking) can cause the engine to
overrev ,leading to engine damage.
! On long and steep downhill gradients,
especiall yifthe vehicle is laden or towing
at railer, yo umust shift into gear 1, 2or3
in good time. This uses the engine's braking
effect .This relieves the load on the brake
system and prevents the brakes from over-
heating and wearing too quickly. Neutral
Nwhen the ECO start/stop
functio nisactive
In neutral N,the engin eisswitched off when
the vehicle speed is below acertain threshold
and the clut chpedal is not depressed. Manual transmission
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Transmission position and driv
epro-
gram display :
Transmission positio ndisplay
; Drive program display (E/S)or(E/S/M)
The cur rent transmissio nposition and drive
program appear in the multifunction display. Transmission positions
B
Par
kposition
Prevent sthe ve hicle fr om rolling
away when stopped. Do not shift
the transmission int oposition P
unless the vehicle is stationary.
The key can only be removed if the
transmission is in position P.Ifthe
key is removed from the ignition
lock ,the selector lever is locked. C
Reverse
Only shift the transmission to
R
when the vehicle is stationary. A
Neu
tral
Do not shift the transmission to N
whil edriving. Otherwise, th eauto-
matic transmissio ncould be dam-
aged.
Releasing the brakes will allow you
to mov ethe vehicle freely, e.g. to
push it or tow it.
If ESP ®
is deactivated or faulty:
only shift the transmission to posi-
tion Nif the vehicle is in danger of
skidding, e.g. on icy roads. 7
Drive
The automatic transmission
changes gear automatically
.All
forward gears are available. Gearshifting
The automatic transmission shifts to the indi-
vidual gears automatically when it is in trans-
mission position D.This automatic gearshift-
ing behaviour is determined by:
R as hift range restric tion, if selected
R the selected drive program
E/S, E/S/M orM(Y page 144)
R the position of the accelerator pedal
R the roa dspeed Driving tips
Accelerator peda lposition Your style of drivin
ginfluences how the auto-
matic transmissio nshift sgear:
R littl ethrot tle: earl yupshifts
R mor ethrot tle: late upshifts
Double-clutch function E3
50 and E500 only: when shiftin gdown,
the double-clutch function is active regard-
less of the currently selected drive program.
The double-clutch function reduces load Automatic transmission
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change reactions and is cond
ucive to asporty
driving style. The sound generat edby the
double-clutch function depends on the drive
progra mselected.
Kickdown Use kickdown for maximu
macceleration.
X Depress the accelerator pedal beyond the
pressure point.
Th et ransmission shifts to alower gear
depending on the engin espeed.
X Ease off the accelerator pedal onc ethe
desired speed is reached.
The automatic transmission shift sback up.
Trailer towing X
Driv eint he middle of the engin espeed
range on uphill gradien ts.
X Shift dow ntoshift range 3or
2(Y page 14 5)depending on the uphill or
downhill gradien t,even if cruise control,
DI ST RONIC PLUS or SPEE DTRONIC is acti-
vated. Program selecto
rbutton
Th ep rogram selector butto nallows you to
choose between differen tdriving character-
istics. Progra
mselector button Program selecto
rbutton on vehicle swithout the
"dynamic handlin gpackage with sport smode" Program selecto
rbutton on vehicle swith the
"dynamic handlin gpackage with sport smode" E
Economy Comfortable, economical
driving
S
Sport Sport
ydriving style M
Manual Manual gearshi
fting i
For further informatio non"Drive pro-
gram "(Ypage 145).
X Pres sprogram sele ctor button :repeat-
edly until th elette rfor the desire dgearshift
program appear sint he multifunc tion dis-
play.
i The automatic transmission switches to
automatic drive program Eeach tim ethe
engin eisstarted. 144
Automatic transmissionDrivin
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Kickdown
You can also use kickdown for maximum
acceleration in manual drive program
M.
X Depress th eaccele rator pedal beyond the
pressure point.
The tra nsmission shif tsto alower gear
depending on the engin espeed.
Switching off the manual drive program X
Vehicles without the dynamic handling
package with sport smode: press the
program selector button (Y page 144)
repeatedly until Eor Sappears in the mul-
tifunction display.
X Vehicles with the dynamic handling
pack agew ith sport smode: press the
program selector button (Y page 144).M
is no longer shown in the multifunction dis-
play. Automatic transmission
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Parking up th
evehicle Problem Possible causes/consequences and
M Solutions
The vehicle is to be left
parked up for longer
than four weeks. The battery may be damaged by heavy discharging.
X
Disconnect the battery (Y page 286)orconnect it to abattery
trickle charger.
i You can obtain more information about battery trickle charg-
ers at aqualified specialist workshop, e.g. aMercedes-Benz
Servic eCentre. The vehicle is to be left
parked up for longer
than six weeks. Damage resulting from non-use may occu
rifthe vehicle is parked
up for long periods.
X Visit aqualified specialist worksho pand see kadvice. Driving tips
General driving tips
Rolling with the engine switched off G
Risk of accident
Never switc hthe engin eoff while the vehicle
is in motion.
There is no powe rassistanc efor the steering
and the service brake when the engin eisnot
running.
You will require considerably mor eeffort to
steer and brak eand you could therefore lose
control of the vehicl eand cause an accident. Engine oil
! Vehicle swithadiesel particle filter:
If the vehicle is mostly driven for short dis-
tances, it is possible that malfunctions may
occur durin gthe automa ticc leaning of the
diesel particle filter. This can lead to engine
damage. Therefore, if you frequently drive
short distances, make sure to drive on
motorways or countr yroads for 20 minutes
at least ever y500 km. Appl
ying th ebrakes
Important safet ynotes G
Risk of accident
Do not change down for additional engine
brakin gona slipper yroad surface. This could
cause the driv ewheels to lose their grip and
the vehi clec ould skid. G
Risk of accident
Make sure that other road users are not
endangered by your braking.
Downhill gradients On long and steep downhill gradients, espe-
cially if the vehicle is laden or towin gatrailer,
you must shift to alower gear in good tim eor,
on vehicles wit hautomatic transmission,
select shift range 1,2or 3.
i This also applie sifyou have activated
cruise control, SPEEDTRONIC or DIS-
TRONIC PLU S.
This will use the brakin geffect of th eengine,
so les sbraki ngwill be required to maintain
the speed .This relieves the load on the brake
syste mand prevent sthe brake sfrom ove r-
heati ngand wearing too quickly. If you need
additional braking, depress the brake pedal
repeatedly rather than continuously. 154
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Heav
yand light loads G
Risk of accident
Never depr esst he brake pedal continuously
while the vehicle is in motion ,e.g. never cause
the brakes to rub by applying cons tant slight
pedal pressure. Thi scauses the brake system
to overheat, increases the braking distance
and can lead to the brakes failing completely.
If the brakes have been subjected to aheavy
load, do not stop the vehicle immediately ,but
drive on for ashort while. This allow sthe air-
flo wtoc ool the brakes mor equickly.
If the brakes have been used only moderately,
you should occasionally test their effective-
ness. To do this, brake more firmly from a
higher speed. This improves the grip of the
brakes.
Wet roads If driving in heavy rain for
aprolonged period
of time without braking, there may be a
delayed reaction from th ebrake swhen brak-
ing for the first time. This ma yalso occur after
the vehicle has been washed.
You have to depress the brake pedal more
firmly. Maintain agreater distance from the
vehicl einfront.
After driving on awet road or havin gthe vehi-
cle washed, brake firml ywhile paying atten-
tion to the traffic conditions. This will warm
up the brake discs, thereby drying them more
quickly and protecting them against corro-
sion.
Limited braking perfo rmance on salt
treated roads G
Risk of accident
The layer of salt on the brake discs and the
brake pads/linings may cause adelay in the
braking effect ,resultin ginas ignifican tlyl on-
ger brakin gdistance, which could lead to an
accident.
To avoid this danger, you should: R
occasionally brake carefully, without put-
ting other road users at risk, when you are
drivin gons alted roads. This helps to
remove any salt that may have started to
build up on the brake discs and the brake
pads/linings.
R maintain agreater distance to th evehicle
ahead and driv ewith particular care.
R carefully apply the brakes at the end of a
trip and immediately after commencing a
new trip, so that salt residues are removed
from the brake discs.
New brake pads/linin gs G
Risk of accident
New brake pads/lining sonly reach thei ropti-
mum braking effect after severa lhundred kil-
ometres of driving. Before this optimum brak-
ing effect is reached, you should compensate
for the reduced braking effect by applying
greater pressure when braking. This also
applies after the brake discs or the brake
pads/lining shave been replaced.
For safety reasons, Mercedes-Benz recom-
mends that you only have brake pads/linings
fitted to your vehicle which have been
approved for Mercedes-Benz vehicles or
which correspond to an equivalent quality
standard. Brake pads/lining swhich hav enot
been approved for Mercedes-Benz vehicles or
which ar enot of an equivalent quality could
affect your vehicle' soperating safety. Ty
re traction G
Risk of accident
Whil ethe vehicle can be fully con trolled at a
cer tain speed on dry roads, you must reduce
your speed on wet or icy roads to achieve the
same road safety. Otherwise, you could cause
an accident.
Pay particular attention to the road conditions
at temperatures around freezin gpoint. Driving tips
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If ice ha
sformed on the road surface (e.g.
from fog), athin fil mofw ater rapidly forms on
the ice when you brake, considerably reduc-
ing tyre grip. Drive with particular care in such
weather conditions. Drivin
gonw etroads
Aquapla ning If water has accumulated to
acertain depth
on th eroad surface, there is adanger of aqua-
planing occurring, even if:
R you driv eatlow speeds
R thet yres have adequat etread depth
For this reason ,donot drive in tyre ruts ,and
brak ecarefully.
Driving on flooded roads If you have to driv
eonstretches of roadon
whic hwater has collected, please bear in
min dthat:
R the maximu mpermitted dept hins till water
is 25 cm
R you should driv enofaster than at walking
pace.
! Bear in min dthat vehicles travelling in
front or in th eopposite directio ncreate
waves. This ma ycause the maximum per-
missible water depth to be exceeded.
Failure to observe these notes may result
in damage to the engine, electrical systems
and transmission. Winter driving
Important safety notes Have your vehicle winterproofed at
aqualified
specialist workshop, e.g. at aMercedes-Benz
Servic eCentre, at the onset of winter.
Observ ethe notes in the "Changin gawheel"
section (Y page 302). Winter ty
res Us
ew inter tyres at temperatures below
+7 †a nd on sno worice-covered roads .Only
winter tyre sbeari ng the isnowflake sym-
bo lnext to the M+S marking provid ethe best-
possible grip in wintry road conditio ns.O nly
thes etyres will allow the ABS and ESP ®
driv-
ing systems to function optimally in winter, as
thes etyres have been designed specifically
for driving on snow.
Use winter tyres of the same make and tread
on all wheels to maintain safe handling char-
acteristics. G
Risk of accident
Winter tyres with atrea ddepth of less than
4mmm ust be replace dimmediately. They are
no longe rsuitable for winter use and can no
longer provid esufficient grip. This could
cause you to lose control of you rvehicle and
cause an accident.
Alway sobserv ethe maximum permissible
speed specifie dfor the winter tyres you have
fit ted. If you fit winter tyres which have a
lower maximum permissible speed than that
of the vehicle, affix an appropriate warning
sign in the driver' sfield of vision. This can be
obtained at aqualified specialist workshop,
e.g. from aMercedes-Benz Ser vice Centre.
Under these circumstances, you shoul dalso
restrict the maximum speed of the vehicle
using permanen tSPEED-
TRONIC 29
(Y page 17 1)so that it does not
exceed the maximum permissible speed for
the winter tyres.
Onc eyou have fit tedt he winter tyres:
X Chec kthe tyr epressures (Y page 299).
X Restart th etyre pressure los swarning sys-
tem (Y page 301). G
Risk of accident
If you fit the spare wheel when driving with
winter tyres, bear in mind that driving stability
will be impaired due to unstable cornering
29 Only available for certain countries. 156
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characteristics cause
dbythe differ enttyres.
You shoul dtherefor eadapt your drivin gstyle
and drive carefully.
Have the spare whee lreplaced at the nearest
qualified specialist workshop which has the
necessar yspecialist knowledge and tools to
carry out the work required. Mercedes- Benz
recommends that you use aMercedes-Benz
Ser vice Centre for thi spurpose. In particular,
work relevant to safety or on safety-related
systems must be carried out at aqualified
specialist workshop.
Snow chains For safety reasons
,Mercedes-Benz recom-
mends that you only use snow chain swhich
hav ebeen speciall yapproved for your vehicle
by Mercedes-Benz ,ora re of acorresponding
standar dofquality.
If you intend to fit snow chains, pleas ebear
the following point sinmind:
R you may not attac hsnow chains to all
wheel-tyre combinations ;see the "Tyres
and wheels" section in the "Techni caldata"
chapter.
R snow chains must not be fitted to emer-
gency spare wheels ,e.g. a"Minispare"
emergency spar ewheel.
R fit snow chains only in pair sand only to the
rear wheels .Observ ethe manufacturer's
installation instructions.
Do not exceed the maximum permissible
speed of 50 km /h.
i You may wish to deactivat eESP®
when
pulling away with snow chains fitted
(Y page 57). This way you can allow the
wheels to spin in acontrolled manner, ach-
ieving an inc reased driving forc e(cutting
actio n).
Slipper yroad surfaces G
Risk of accident
Do not shift down for additional engine brak-
ing on aslippery road surface. This could cause the drive wheels to lose their grip and
the vehicle could skid.
You should drive particularly carefully on slip-
pery road surfaces. Avoid sudden accelera-
tion ,steering and braking manoeuvres.
If the vehicle threatens to skid or cannot be
stopped when movin gatlow speed:
X Vehicles with manua ltransmission: engage
neutral.
X Vehicles wit hautomatic transmission: shift
the transmission to position N.
X Try to bring the vehicle under control using
corrective steering.
i For more information on driving with
snow chains, see (Y page 157). Drivin
gabroad
General notes An extensiv
eMercedes–Benz Ser vice net-
work is als oavailable in othe rcountries. The
Ser vice Hotline's current telephone numbers
for use whe nyou ar eabroad are to be found
in the "Service24h" section of the Ser vice
Boo klet.
Only low-oc tane fuel is available in certain
countries.
You can find further information about fuel
grade son(Ypage 14 8).
Sym metrical dipped-beam headlamps If your journey takes you to countries where
vehicle
sare driven on th eopposite side of the
road to the country in which the vehicle is
registered, your headlamps must be switched
to symmetrical dipped beam. This prevents
oncomin gtraffic from being dazzled.
Have th eheadlamps conver tedasc lose as
possible to the border before drivin ginthese
countries. When usin gsymmetrical lights, the
edg eoft he carriageway is not lit as widely
and as fa rahead as nor mal. Drivin
gtips
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